Shredded Red-Chile Meat Recipe (2024)

By Mark Bittman

Shredded Red-Chile Meat Recipe (1)

Total Time
2 hours or more
Rating
4(303)
Notes
Read community notes

Tortillas, which of course can be used in a variety of ways, are also potential tacos. This recipe for a kind of shredded chile-sauced meat — beef, pork, chicken or lamb — goes perfectly with homemade tortillas.

Featured in: Tortillas, Almost From Scratch

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisem*nt

Ingredients

Yield:4 or more servings

  • 2pounds boneless beef chuck, porkshoulder, lamb shoulder or chicken(thigh) meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 5garlic cloves, peeled and lightlycrushed
  • 1large onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2dried guajillo chiles, seeds andstems removed
  • 2dried ancho chiles, seeds andstems removed
  • 2bay leaves
  • 1tablespoon ground cumin
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Cayenne

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine all the ingredients except the cayenne. Add water to cover, and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface. Partly cover, and adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles steadily; cook until the meat is very tender, 1 to 2 hours

  2. Step

    2

    Transfer the meat to a bowl, and let it cool, then shred it with your fingers. Discard the bay leaves, and transfer the garlic, onion and chiles to a blender along with a splash of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth. Add the sauce to the meat, and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a little cayenne if you want it spicier; you may want to overseason the meat slightly if you’re using it as a filling. Use, or store in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a few months.

Ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Sergio

Mother boiled the pork shoulder, then shredded it, then she made a guiso. Sauteed the meat in a small amount of lard, then added freshly ground cumin and pepper. She would soak the ancho chilies and when soft, would remove the pulp and used that in the meat. Some of the chili pulp would go in the masa. She used freshly prepared masa that was ground in front of our eyes, still warm from boiling the corn. What a treat!

Petaltown

I'd brown the beef first before adding the water.

Amanda

Used chicken (with bones) and the dried mystery chiles from the back of my cupboard. I didn't actually add the blended mixture back to the meat, but instead blended it with pinto beans and cooking liquid and then added whole pinto beans, kale and cilantro. Then made tortillas with the beans, shredded chicken, avocado, and feta.

Doug

I couldn't find guajillo chiles, so I used cascabel in their place. I also used the seeds from one of the cascabels and one of the anchos. The issue that I had was that the 'heat' was so mild as to be non-existent. Even adjusting with cayenne really didn't do it for me.

It could be that my 10 years here in NM have made me a bit immune. If I do make it again, I will use some NM (Hatch) red chile powder in place of the two types of chiles as per the recipe.

Scott

And save the cooking liquid to use in black bean soup or red beans & rice

Diane B.

Simple and delicious. Not necessary to brown the meat; that gives you something more like chili, and this is a taco filling. Not spicy hot but you can add the heat later. The cooking liquid is too good to waste; I plan to use it as a soup base.

stephanie

cascabel & ancho peppers are not hot. you cannot add the seeds from those for "more heat" because they aren't hot to begin with. an ancho is merely a dried poblano, for instance. the term "chile" is misleading to many people - it doesn't necessarily denote heat. use them for flavor, then add heat with something much higher up the scoville scale :)

Zesus

This is easy and a nice "base" sort of recipe from which lots of pleasant experiments can emerge. One thing I felt necessary in my following of the recipe this evening was to take a few minutes to scrape the flesh from the tough skins of the chiles after cooking and separating from the stew. These particular dried chiles had very tough skins and I certainly didn't want my guests to have to break out their molcajetes to process my tamale filling. Everything was very tasty!

Jackie N

An easy recipe that yields nicely spiced & flavored meat in red chili sauce without turning your kitchen red (a hazard when making New Mexico red chili sauce). Used dried New Mexico red chilie instead of ancho with guajillo chiles. While a mix pork tenderloin/pork sirloin I had on hand was good next time will make with pork shoulder as suggested. Adjusted seasoning with New Mexico red chili powder, a more complex flavor we enjoy in SW. Will definitely make again to serve to guests with tacos.

stephanie

1" is very small. i find what most recipes mean when they say "one inch cubes" for this is more like 2-3" chunks. that's how i do chicken for bbq, and pork shoulder (aka pork butt). (tho i prefer pork in chunks rather than shredded, but that's neither here nor there.) either way it's all much easier to cut when slightly frozen.

btw, the butt isnt from the butt of the animal - its name comes from the barrels ("butts") they were stored/transported in.

cookingDeliciously

I cut the time in half by cooking this recipe in an instant pot for 1 hour on high, and instead of shredding the meat - I pressed it gently with a fork and spooned the delicious broth on top. While bending the red sauce, I thought it needed a bit more body. I may have added little bits of cooked beef fat. Use a good blender.

Glen

Nice, but I thought it was a bit bland. Of the two chilis, the guajillo are hotter, so next time I will try doubling them to see if that helps.I used a drawstring mesh cooking bag for the garlic, onions, and chilis -- made them easy to remove for the final steps.

P.Hill

This is a keeper. I added a fresh jalapeno and some chicken "Better than Bullion" to the water but otherwise made as directed and really enjoyed. The chicken was moist! (used bone-in thighs)

P.Hill

Would have liked a salt measurement to go by. I felt that I had to keep adding salt to get it "to taste"

Amanda

We will make again, and probably add a lot more chilies.

Peter

I ended up adding a little bit of cloves and cinnamon, just because I saw it in a carnitas recipe and I was using pork. Also a dash of fish sauce, to fill out the flavor a bit. Maybe this is odd but I chopped the dry chilles and at the end I used a wisk to break up the meat and incorporated the delicious juices. Hoping to preserve all the flavor

Elizabeth

This is a real go to for me. VERY healthy and easy.

augustus p

I’ve made this recipe a couple times. I use chicken thighs, cook them for about 40mins and shred them. Put the shredded chicken back in a pan with a tablespoon of butter and let it crisp a little, then add the blended sauce. No complaints so far.

Bunnii

Add a few chile de árbol if you want it spicy. i like cumin but it overpowered the meat so maybe halve it if you’re not a fan.

Zesus

This is easy and a nice "base" sort of recipe from which lots of pleasant experiments can emerge. One thing I felt necessary in my following of the recipe this evening was to take a few minutes to scrape the flesh from the tough skins of the chiles after cooking and separating from the stew. These particular dried chiles had very tough skins and I certainly didn't want my guests to have to break out their molcajetes to process my tamale filling. Everything was very tasty!

cookingDeliciously

I cut the time in half by cooking this recipe in an instant pot for 1 hour on high, and instead of shredding the meat - I pressed it gently with a fork and spooned the delicious broth on top. While bending the red sauce, I thought it needed a bit more body. I may have added little bits of cooked beef fat. Use a good blender.

Scott

And save the cooking liquid to use in black bean soup or red beans & rice

Sergio

Mother boiled the pork shoulder, then shredded it, then she made a guiso. Sauteed the meat in a small amount of lard, then added freshly ground cumin and pepper. She would soak the ancho chilies and when soft, would remove the pulp and used that in the meat. Some of the chili pulp would go in the masa. She used freshly prepared masa that was ground in front of our eyes, still warm from boiling the corn. What a treat!

Diane B.

Simple and delicious. Not necessary to brown the meat; that gives you something more like chili, and this is a taco filling. Not spicy hot but you can add the heat later. The cooking liquid is too good to waste; I plan to use it as a soup base.

anita

Delicious! I had to use new mexico chilis instead of ancho, so I added ancho chili powder. Next time I'll definitely up the heat content but it was still very tasty and we added fresh jalapeños during the meal.

Doug

I couldn't find guajillo chiles, so I used cascabel in their place. I also used the seeds from one of the cascabels and one of the anchos. The issue that I had was that the 'heat' was so mild as to be non-existent. Even adjusting with cayenne really didn't do it for me.

It could be that my 10 years here in NM have made me a bit immune. If I do make it again, I will use some NM (Hatch) red chile powder in place of the two types of chiles as per the recipe.

david 92108

I've made it with Hatch Red Chili and it is great!

Suzanne z

I love cooking with NM red chile powder....how much would you recommend ?

Voros

about 2 Bamakos

Private notes are only visible to you.

Shredded Red-Chile Meat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best red meat to shred? ›

Chuck roast is arguably the best cut to use for pulled beef. Similar to the front shoulder of pork (or the pork “butt”) chuck roasts, being from the front shoulder of the steer, are chock full of fat, collagen, and marbling.

What is the best beef for chili? ›

When making chili, former Southern Living Test Kitchen Director, Robby Melvin, recommends using a mix of ground chuck and ground sirloin. "It's the best of both worlds," he says. "You get a balanced lean-to-fat ratio from the chuck and the hearty, beefy leanness from the sirloin."

What do you call shredded barbecue taco meat? ›

Carne Deshebrada or shredded beef tacos are a meal the whole family craves. This flavorful beef recipe is also a favorite for, gorditas, tostadas, and more!

Is it better to shred meat hot or cold? ›

Shredding Hot (or Warm)

The hotter the protein (or the closer it is to having just been removed from the cook cycle), the easier it will shred and produce the hand-pulled look you are after. Benefits to shredding hot: Muscle fibers are easier to shred.

Should you let meat cool before shredding? ›

Shredding cold always produces a coarse, chunky shred. Shredding hot always produces a finer, longer shred. It's all in how heat affects muscle fibers in the meat.

How do you increase the flavor of beef in chili? ›

Before adding all of the chili ingredients together, brown the meat in your pot, in a bit of oil, to develop a fuller flavor.

What makes chili taste the best? ›

The ultimate chili should:
  1. Have a rich, complex chile flavor that combines sweet, bitter, hot, fresh, and fruity elements in balance.
  2. Have a robust, meaty, beefy flavor.
  3. Assuming that it contains beans, have beans that are tender, creamy, and intact.
  4. Be bound together by a thick, deep-red sauce.

What are the best onions for chili? ›

Sweet Onion

Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.

What do Mexicans call taco meat? ›

Carne Asada – Asada (or asado) means “roasted” in Spanish. Carne asada is a spicy, marinated grilled steak that's cut into strips. This is the meat that goes into burritos and tacos. Pollo Asado – Pollo means “chicken” in Spanish, which means that pollo asado is grilled, marinated chicken.

What cut of meat is barbacoa? ›

In the US, people typically make barbacoa with chuck roast, brisket and beef cheeks. However, any cut of beef that has a lot of connective tissue and takes a long time to cook until tender works well.

Why is it called pastor tacos? ›

Al Pastor is a traditional Mexican dish made with seasoned and marinated pork. The name translates to “Shephard Style,” which is derived from the origin of the cooking method. Although al pastor is a Mexican meat, the style of cooking is an original of the Lebanese.

What is the best meat to get shredded? ›

What is the best cut for shredded beef? Chuck roast is hands down the winner for maximum beefy flavor, the right amount of fattiness, and cost-effectiveness, but there are a few runner-ups that will yield a delicious result. Brisket is always a delicious choice, but it can be on the pricey side.

What is the best red meat for weight loss? ›

Of these, the following are considered the leanest beef cuts:
  • Eye of round roast and steak.
  • Round tip roast and steak.
  • Top round roast and steak.
  • Bottom round roast and steak.
  • Top sirloin steak.
  • Top loin steak.
  • Chuck shoulder and arm roasts.
Nov 21, 2023

What joint of beef is best for shredding? ›

What is a good cut of beef for shredding? It may sound counterintuitive, but the best cuts of meat for tender, juicy shredded beef are actually the toughest cuts. Tough cuts like chuck roast stand up well to slow cooking, and become succulent and pull-apart-tender after hours in the crock pot.

What is the best red meat for building muscle? ›

Steak is an excellent source of protein that's slower to digest so will keep protein synthesis elevated for hours to come after you eat it. Grass fed steak is also going to contain some healthy fats, including CLA which can help enhance your body composition, assisting you with getting leaner as you build muscle.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6050

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (68 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Birthday: 1996-12-09

Address: Apt. 141 1406 Mitch Summit, New Teganshire, UT 82655-0699

Phone: +2296092334654

Job: Technology Architect

Hobby: Snowboarding, Scouting, Foreign language learning, Dowsing, Baton twirling, Sculpting, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.